Page 8 - OAS Magazine_Summer_2016

deserts before emptying into lush wetlands. Now, after meeting the needs for agriculture, industry and public use in seven states, the Colorado rarely reaches its delta. The dewatering of the delta has wiped away the rich diversity of wildlife that once depended on the delta ecosystem. Other rivers like the Ganges and the Nile are equally over tapped, while still others serve as endpoints for polluted runoff collected on their journey.
As if that weren’t enough, climate change has dramatically altered when, where and how we’ll get the water we currently use in the form of intensified droughts and changes in rain, snow, and runoff patterns. There is certainly a case to be made that managing our freshwater systems is important to our survival, but the often overlooked side to sustaining these systems is the role that freshwater plays in support of the world’s biodiversity. More than 10 percent of all known animals and 50 percent of all known fish species depend on healthy plentiful supplies of fresh water, but these systems are endangered due to human development, pollution, and climate change. Water may seem
to be everywhere around us, but as artists who work tirelessly to capture the beauty of our water planet, there should be no misunderstanding that the future of this valuable resource and the ecosystems it nourishes is anything but guaranteed.
— Steve Creech
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